If you are looking to rent a property with a letting agent, ensure you check for any extra fees or charges first, and factor ’em in. These can add a huge whack to the cost of renting, and vary between agencies. Not all agents charge the same fees, so check out a list of all fees before you apply for a property so that you don’t come up against unexpected charges. Renting through an agent is the most secure way to source your new home and you are fully protected at all times during the tenancy. Remember, letting agents don’t only work for the landlords but they also work for you the tenants.
Here Belvoir Lettings Liverpool West Derby and Belvoir Lettings Liverpool Central we are a specialist residential letting agency that have a wide variety of flats, apartments, houses and homes to rent in Liverpool. We are open and honest with our fees and where your money is held, why it is held and what it is used for.
Your money will be held in a Client Account which is fully insured and audited annually by Propertymark and ARLA approved auditors which mean that your deposit is SAFE and fully protected unlike smaller independently run agents.
You will receive a comprehensive inventory of the fixtures and fittings of the property you are renting at the start of the tenancy which save guards you when you come to vacate the property. Belvoir Lettings Liverpool West Derby and Belvoir Lettings Liverpool Central register all deposits held with the Deposit Dispute Service www.thedisputeservice.co.uk and The Deposit Protection Service www.depositprotection.com and if you have any issues relating to the property and your deposit when you vacate, then you can ask them to act as an independent arbitrator. We are full members of the Propertymark Scheme http://www.nalscheme.co.uk/ and the Association of Residential Letting Agents www.arla.co.uk which means that we are a fully trusted competent letting agent based in Liverpool.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has given UK letting agents and private landlords until Fri 1 Nov to make sure non-optional fees are clearly displayed in ads alongside rental prices. Here at Belvoir Lettings Liverpool West Derby and Belvoir Lettings Liverpool Central we advertise all of our fees online along with our properties. We also very clearly display a list of our fees in our office windows. We are open with our fees and all fees are clearly listed on our application forms prior to signing the declaration that you are happy to proceed with your application.
After this date, if you find a letting agent or private landlord still isn’t clearly listing its fees, you can complain to the ASA, which can take action to have problem ads removed or amended, though it can’t give compensation. As there’s little other regulation over these charges in England, you should always ask to see ’em upfront.
Shockingly, some of the fees reported include £120 for permission to buy a dog or £60 for photocopying a contract. “My boyfriend and I rent and had to pay an additional £250 for our dog Tom, on top of the £900 deposit!”
An investigation by Shelter found renters are being hit by unfair letting agency fees of up to £700. It’s campaigning to end these fees.
Belvoir Lettings Liverpool Central Fee List:
An application fee of £175.00 (inc VAT) for a single or multiple occupants.
If a guarantor is required a fee of £45 (inc VAT) will be due.
Please note that once you have applied for a property and paid your application fees, that the application fees are part or non refundable.
VIEWING – We hold keys for the majority of our properties in order to accomodate viewings as required, including early evenings and Saturdays.
Otherwise we will liaise with the landlord or existing tenant to find a convenient time.
REFERENCES – We undertake references on behalf of the landlord. This includes: Credit history checks, employer checks and previous landlord check.
MOVE IN – The sign up will take place at our office at 41 Cable House, Cheapside, L2 2SX. One month Rent in advance plus one months rent and £100 held as a security deposit against damage or other breach of the tenancy. Please be aware that on the day of sign up all monies must be presented in cleared funds Cash, Bankers Draft, Debit Card or by prior bank transfer.
RENT – Rents are normally quoted on a calendar monthly basis. Rents are paid, monthly in advance, by standing order to our Belvoir Client account. The first months rent is paid, in cleared funds, on the day that you sign the tenancy agreement.
DEPOSIT – A deposit the equilivent to one months rent plus £100 is payable in cleared funds on the day you sign the tenancy agreement. If we managed the paticular property your deposit will be registered with The Tenancy Depsoit Scheme and if the landlord manages the property then we will register your deposit with The Depsoit Protection Service.
INVENTORY – We are a member of APIP The Association of Professional Inventory Providers which enables us to provide a high quality photographic inventory.
If you are unsure of any fees listed or have any other questions please call our office and we will be happy to fully explain them to you 0151 231 1613. Or email us liverpoolcentral@belvoirlettings.com
Let. us do all the work!
Belvoir
Liverpool Central
